Firm columnist & Editorial board member and Solicitor of the Year, Mike Dailly, has been appointed as Chair of one of the two Working Groups on the Financial Services Authority''s Consumer Panel from December.

The announcement was made via Facebook.

The remit of the group includes UK regulation of the mortgage market, retail banking, conduct of business, pensions, consumer redress, financial crime, and consumer credit.

Dailly, who had previously been a member of the FSA panel, said: "Quite a responsibility and a fantastic opportunity to represent the interests of consumers of financial services in the UK."

Dailly added that the group was already looking into issues surrounding the quality of independent financial advice and advisers.

"This is a big problem particularly when it comes to private pensions when the savings pot is small or modest - the annuities market is flat and complex, and we have 'silver' inflation," he said.

"Part of the solution is 'simplified products and advice' which are safer and cost a small amount in transactional costs. The UK Gov has today announced a new steering group to look at this."